1) Technical Field
The subject invention relates to a ventilation assembly for an attic of a building.
2) Description of the Prior Art
It is desirable to have an attic or upper story of a building be vented to the atmosphere to prevent heat build up within the attic. Poor attic ventilation can result in high air conditioning bills in the summer, excessive moisture retention in the winter, loss of insulation efficiency, and destruction of the roof itself.
A proper designed ventilation assembly, which can be a roof vent, gable vent, soffet vent, or the like, utilizes the natural forces of temperature and wind. The temperature force, or thermal effect, results from a temperature differential between the interior of the attic and the outside. In order to minimize the thermal effect within the attic, the ventilation assembly should be disposed at the highest possible elevation.
The force of the wind, or wind pressure, is created when the wind flows over the building which creates a vacuum therein. The vacuum produces a negative pressure area on the upwind side of the building and a positive pressure area on the downwind side of the building.
Roof ridge vents have become increasingly popular for providing the needed ventilation. Roof ridge vents extend along the ridge of a pitched roof and cover a ventilating opening that is cut longitudinally in the roof. Many of the prior art ridge vents work in conjunction with a gable vent such that the gable vent draws air into the attic and the air then exhausts out the ridge vent. The ridge vents typically include filters or screens disposed within the vent itself to prevent the intrusion of particles, snow, debris, insects and the like. However, the filters or screens disposed within the path of airflow restrict the uniform flow of air through the vent. Examples of this type of ridge vent configuration are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,325,290; 4,817,506; 4,924,761; 5,122,095; and 5,830,059.
In order to increase the air flow through the ridge roof vent and to thereby increase the efficiency of the roof vent, it is desirable to remove any filter or screen from the air passageways of the vent to allow unobstructed air flow through the vent while still preventing the intrusion of particles, debris, insects and the like. In addition, the unimpeded roof vent should also be able to redirect the intrusion of water, snow, debris and the like away from the roof vent. Finally, it is desirable to roll the entire roof vent assembly into a single coil such that the coil may be unrolled on top of the roof, thereby increasing the efficiency of the installation process.